The Price of Life [Fullmetal Alchemist]

Chapter Forty Four

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pain is just a simple compromise, so we can get what we want out of it
-paramore

Sonia can feel the ugly presence of a homunculus. But she also feels the aura of her sister, or at least the remnants of her tainted soul. Her heart twists, for even as the creature is still shrouded in the shadows, walking ever so slowly towards them, there's no doubt it's her. It's her sister.

'She's got to be in there,' Sonia convinces herself. 'Just like Ling.'

The taller woman wore a buttoned vest that exposed her midriff and thigh-high boots over her leggings. All black of course, just like any other homunculus. The ouroboros tattoo on the right side of her neck reminded the younger sister of what she was. She had to think of her as just another homunculus, or else she wouldn't leave this fight alive. She didn't have much backup - Ed was on the other side of the room by now, just about ready to start a fight with the other crazed killer.

"I figured I'd see you again," the female homunculus said, approaching the alchemist. "'Oh, don't you remember me, dear sister?'" She mocked her, recalling the first time they had encountered each other at the fifth laboratory. "I think I know who you are now." She smiled menacingly. "My next victim."

Jocelyn immediately advanced. Sonia began to strife, giving her time to pull out her pocket knife. She knew this was not the ideal weapon, so she quickly transformed it into a sword with longer range. Unfortunately, stretching the metal would make it weaker, but what choice did she have?

Now equipped with a fair weapon, she held it with both hands in front of her. She tried desperately to summon any strategies that Bradley had used during their fight, but her thoughts literally got knocked out of her head when Jocelyn nailed a swift kick to her head. She was more agile, and the girl noticed that she took notes from Envy - stretching herself to get a longer reach. After, she returned to her normal size and went back to the defensive.

The alchemist decided to offend, but her hesitation gave in and she dealt attacks that she knew her sister would easily avoid. She couldn't help but try to reach out for her once more. Ling had shown traces of himself through Greed... maybe this could be the same situation.

"Please, I don't want to fight you! You're my sister! My flesh and blood! Or does that not mean anything to you? Don't I?!"

The homunculus' face only flashed with anger. "How pathetic you are! Flesh and blood?! The only blood coursing through my veins is that of the philosopher's stone!"

She attacked again, but missed. Sonia knew her defensive moves greater than anything else; she never liked to fight, but she always had to. That was the problem, wasn't it? She tried to channel the pure hatred of those who had hurt her, who she wanted to inflict the same pain on them as they had once done to her. It hurt, but she sliced and sliced and sliced at all angles against her own. They all hit, and Sonia decided to do the sword uppercut from the Fuhrer that had almost finished Lan Fan.